Ok...Ok....sorry for the delay....Here we go!
First, as far as the demo disc goes....it's the Disney Movie "Eight Below"...Kinda funny as a sticker on the box alludes to a "demo disc". I assumed it was the same kind of demo that originally came with my hm-dh30000 dvhs player. i guess the bonus is that eight below is supposed to be a great transfer...unfortunately, as the test begins, i won't even open it in case the Panny has to go back!
When i first picked up the box, i have to say that i was kind of disappointed. Let me explain. My last memory of receiving a box, was with my $800 Toshiba hd-xa1 hd dvd player. That sucker was heavy and large! I also had originally owned the hd-a1 dvd player. That too, was noticeably heavier...Now i'm not saying that weight automatically corresponds to quality, but it certainly is a perception that is shared among many! we all know that the famous dvd-rp82 from panny was physically a lightweight, but a true heavyweight in terms if PQ! True however, is that if you own for example, a denon dvd-5910, 5900, 3910...theta compli..., etc. etc...you expect a solid piece of equipment when you are up and above the $1000 range. Certain expectations come with being part of the 4-digit club!
As i took the unit out of the box, i have to admit, i liked the looks of the unit immediately! I've always been a fan of the black gloss look...i mean i never considered a fujitsu plasma, until available in black. Now granted, certain components are made to be purchased in silver...case in point, my theta digital components, that i'll be using for the sound portion later today...
I'm really not blown away with the absolute quality. I remember complaining that the Toshiba unit was too expensive at $800! A few months later, i'm beginning to appreciate what's involved here. First of all, i'm a big believer in first and second generation...perfect example is my callibrated pioneer elite pro 910hd. That is still to this day, bar none, my favorite tv! sure, my xbr960 is my best technically correct picture, but for flat out wow....its the pioneer..funny thing is...over the years, i've seen the 920, 930...now the 940...all with add'l specs, and bells and whistles...and of course, the claim to a better picture...i'm a purist, and i'll tell you like this...i've played with them all....while they've claimed to make "em better, what they've done, is cut costs, and figure out a way to keep the picture up to par...the best pure guts went into the 910, and it shows....my denon 4800, which is the first thx receiver, is still the best sounding denon i've heard....i've owned the 5803, and 5805....the amps and build quality on their first effort, is still the best they've made..its the only denon that actually sounds great musically! again, putting it all into the first generation....i know that new generations bring new features...the new toshiba will not be the same quality as they figure out how to pare costs...some will argue, well wait a second....i want 1080p...trust me, unless using a projector, its a non event...more importantly, until the t.v's can handled 24fps, again, its a non event....!
now, what i like, is that the flip down front is done manually...and its very nice and smooth...."dampened very well!" There is a shiny! green light by the disc drawer, and i haven't figured out if it can be defeated....if you have this unit exposed next to your tv, trust me, you'll want it off...
Now the disc drive...honestly....disappointed! it just seemed cheapy...the noise...the movement....compared to the toshiba hd dvd...kinda yukky....compared to my theta compli, or my old denon 5900...not in the same league! kinda makes me wonder about the vibration control within the unit!....Especially considering the weight! I'm sure a big thing about the Toshiba hddvd is the vibration control...especially on the more expensive unit....now i realize some said that spending an extra few hundred bucks for the xa1 was unnecessary...for naked eye picture quality, they are probably correct...but for others like me...i want the best chance at perfection, assuming its fairly priced...
i put dinosaur in first!....now i haven't played around with the sammy...but what i liked compared to the toshiba is that when you press power on, you have to wait a while until you can press the button to drop the panel...then press the button to open the drawer...here, i was able to get the drawer open quickily and load the disc. About 30-35 seconds later (not timed by a watch), it was a go....Their was a thing about Blu-ray with quick clips from different films...i must say, it looked really good... i didn't evaluate it however, only quickly glanced...why? I watch movies...thats what i do...i want the best pq and best audio, period! i don't care about interactive, commentaries, etc. etc...
oh, bye the way , when you first turn on the unit ...you get the setup screen...you can select easy, or advanced...for purposes here, i did easy...if you've played around with recent panasonic dvd menu system, you'll be right at home...if you haven't, its freakin easy, and with this ergonomically, very nice (but not backlit) remote, you will really like the experience...compared to toshiba, what a pleasure! in easy mode, you select screensize, and audio...if using analog multichannel out, like me, you get the menu to set all speaker sizes....but more on audio later...
now, the movie begins.....i'm not going to hold the suspense any longer....very, very disappointed...first, the reason i bought dinosaur..is because i expected a computer generated film to really to dazzle in hi-def....it was kind of like their was a film covering the picture...i mean like you were shooting in manual mode with a camcorder, but was off on the focus just a tiny bit...but enough, where it just didn't look right! i don't know what it is! obviously, whatever noise reduction chip is in the panny, i think its safe to assume that its off! i mean, when the typical blue ratings screen comes on at the beginning...it is tack sharp! so why not the film...something is going on during the encoding of the films...i;'m not saying that it is necessarily software related, the software could be looking for and expecting the hardware to decode an exactly specific way, and perhaps its not happening! Sure, every so often, the camera would pan in on an object and it looked great, but most of the time, not...
my wife is yelling at me...gotta take kids to b'day party...more when i return later this afternoon...sorry....i will say this...don't make any decisions yet...stealth is next....i am disappointed that the same comments from the sammy's playback of dinosaur are happening with the panny..more to come later......and yes, i will also hook it up to my pioneer, and yes, i will do component, as i'm troubled so far....
